Should You Put Olive Oil in Coffee?

You’ve probably heard of people adding butter to their coffee, but now, olive oil coffee might be the next big thing thanks to Starbucks. So should you put olive oil in your coffee at home?

For those who are already fans of butter coffee—also known as bulletproof coffee—adding olive oil to your morning cup might be worth a try. Hey, even if you’re just curious, a little coffee experimentation never hurts.

What’s the idea behind olive oil coffee? According to Starbucks—which is launching a range of olive oil-based drinks in Italy in the coming weeks—the idea was inspired by Italians eating a tablespoon of olive oil in the morning. During a trip to Sicily, Starbucks Interim CEO Howard Schultz decided to adopt the practice by adding oil to his coffee, and the idea was born.

But are there actual benefits? Potentially. While olive oil and coffee’s combination hasn’t been studied, in theory, it could be similar to the benefits one gets from drinking bulletproof coffee which include a sense of fullness that helps reduce appetite and the slow absorption of caffeine which maintains energy levels longer.

Typically, for those beverages, you’d add both unsalted butter and MCT oil. The MCT oil (which is often replaced by coconut oil in DIY recipes) is designed to help you feel full thanks to the medium chain triglycerides.  While olive oil is a long-chain triglyceride, some studies have shown that it, too, can help you maintain a sense of fullness.

As for caffeine absorption, there’s one major thing to note. There’s no scientific evidence that adding fats to your coffee can slow caffeine’s absorption leading to longer-lasting energy. However, the idea is that fats slow down your digestion, and when that happens, the caffeine breaks down slower, staying in your system longer.

Will you be adding olive oil to your coffee? If you’re not sold yet, you can always wait until Starbucks launches its Oleato drinks in the United States. Of course, you can always consume it via cooking or in dressings and marinades—just make sure you’ve got the real deal of olive oil.